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Cake day: July 6th, 2023

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  • History podcasts I like:

    Revolutions. Well known; Mike Duncan goes through various revolutions through history in an excellent, detailed narrative.

    American History Too!: two academics from the university of Glasgow have various guests on to discuss different topics from American history. They know their stuff and are really charismatic.

    In Our Time: BBC podcast that’s been going since the early 2000s. A panel of academics are interviewed and discuss a topic on which they are all experts. Incredibly well researched and interesting, though not especially humorous.







  • FUCKING DOING OUR JOB AS TRANSPORT MODELLERS AND DOING A FUCKING COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS THAT SHOWS YOU’RE NEVER GOING TO GET FUCKING MODE SHIFT FROM RURAL USERS UNLESS YOU RUN A FUCKING METRO STYLE 10 MINUTELY SERVICE WHICH IS FUCKING UNFEASIBLE WITH THE FUCKING RESOURCES WE HAVE AVAILABLE.

    IN THE FUCKING UK WE HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF FUCKING ABANDONED RAILWAYS FROM THE PERIOD OF FUCKING COAL MINING THAT WOULDN’T HAVE ANYWHERE NEAR THE FUCKING DEMAND NECESSARY TO JUSTIFY SETTING UP AN EXPENSIVE AS FUCK SIGNALLING SYSTEM TO BRING THEM UP TO MODERN FUCKING SAFETY STANDARDS, ALONGSIDE REPLACING THE FUCKING RAILS, SLEEPERS AND BEDS.

    IF INSTEAD YOU CAN HAVE A FUCKING PUBLICALLY OWNED FLEET OF FUCKING ELECTRIC ‘MINI TRAINS’ THAT PEOPLE COULD USE FOR INFREQUENT BUT NECESSARY TRIPS, THAT COULD REMOVE A FUCKING SIGNIFICANT BARRIER TO MODE SHIFT, WHICH WOULD BE PRETTY FUCKING RAD




  • chumbalumber@lemmy.blahaj.zonetolinuxmemes@lemmy.worldPerpetual Energy
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    7 months ago

    Tbh any turbine likely has the potential to be blocked, if two come along at once, making one become trapped between the turbine blade and the wall.

    For maximal efficiency, I would suggest a spring-loaded ring of rollers inside a solid metal ring, conforming to the shape of passing Linux users. The dynamos would need to be calibrated such that the stiction of passing users is enough to slow their fall to match the current flow rate of entering users (n.b. is this doable? If not may need to use the spring pressure for this) to ensure maximal energy extraction for available user flow.





  • I agree, and am in favour of decriminalisation of marijuana, but I will present the argument against as I think it’s more nuanced than some people will make out.

    Alcohol is a substance that is indelibly intertwined with our culture and rituals. Our socialising at bars, pubs and clubs; our celebrations (champagne!); and our meals (taking a bottle of wine to dinner with friends). Marijuana, by contrast, is in the UK a relatively new introduction. It doesn’t currently serve the same social function.

    If each were to do the same level of damage and carry the same risk, it wouldn’t make sense to spend your political capital trying to ban alcohol (look at how prohibition turned out!) as it’s simply too deeply ingrained in our culture to try. But you could seek to prevent marijuana from reaching the same level of cultural necessity through stigma and criminalisation.

    From a public health perspective, this would make sense; less cost to health services from related health conditions. So you don’t decriminalise, and at the same time take reasonable steps to try to reduce the harm to public health caused by alcohol.

    Where I think this argument falls down is in the criminalising aspect. Does it truly prevent weed from reaching that status, and are your disincentives targeting the right people? To me it seems far more sensible to treat people as adults and educate them on the health risks of both alcohol and the devil’s lettuce.